Golf club

ABSTRACT

An iron type golf head  10  comprises a body  12 , the front side thereof defining a striking face and a socket formation  20 . The body has a perimeter body portion  22  extending rearwardly from a body part of the body, that defines the ball striking face, thus defining a rear cavity  24  on the rear side of the body  12 . The perimeter body portion  22  has a flange  26  projecting operatively upwardly from a sole side  28  of the perimeter body portion  22  thus defining an undercut  30  between the flange  26  and the opposing body part. The body  12  has a bridge formation  32  extending across the undercut between the flange and the opposing body part thereby providing a material concentration behind the sweet spot of the striking face providing for enhanced striking characteristics.

FIELD OF INVENTION

This invention relates to a golf club.

BACKGROUND TO INVENTION

A golf club conventionally comprises an elongate golf club shaft, a golf club head secured to the shaft at one end thereof and a golf club grip secured on the shaft at the other end thereof.

A golf club as above envisaged is commonly known as either one of a wood, an iron and a putter, the general configuration of these types of golf club being well known and therefore not being defined or described in any further detail herein. The present invention relates particularly to a head for an iron-type golf club and, as such, to an iron-type golf club including such a head.

An iron-type golf club head conventionally comprises a body defining a substantially flat front face, known as a striking face of the club head, with the remainder of the body extending operatively rearwardly from the front face and defining a bottom face, known as the sole of the club head. A bore or socket formation for the shaft of the golf club is defined at one end of the body, known as the heel of the club head, the body thus extending away from this bore or socket formation in a desired angular configuration towards its opposite end, known as the toe of the club head. The striking face of the club head thus extends between the said heel and toe of the club head.

The striking face of a golf club head is associated with a “sweet spot”, the sweet spot being an area defined on the striking face where a ball should ideally be struck when swinging the golf club. The position of the sweet spot with respect to the striking face is determined by the distribution of material forming the body and coincides essentially with the centre of gravity of the body. It has been an objective in relation to the design of an iron-type golf club head to provide the striking face with the largest possible sweet spot, i.e. the largest possible striking area within which ball striking remains acceptable. This has been achieved by positioning a substantial portion of the material forming the golf club head around the perimeter of the head, projecting rearwardly from the striking face, thus effectively creating a rear cavity on the rear side of the head. The body portion extending rearwardly around the perimeter of such a heads shall hereinafter be referred to as the perimeter body portion of the head. Insofar as the configuration of such a rear cavity, perimeter weighted, iron-type golf club head is already well known, this is not described in further detail herein.

A further “advance” in rear cavity, perimeter weighted, iron-type golf club head design, as above envisaged, resulted in the body, on the rear side of the head, defining an inwardly projecting body segment that extends from the rear end of the perimeter body portion parallel to and spaced from the body part defining the striking face, towards the centre of the cavity. This projecting body segment shall hereinafter be referred to as a flange, which can thus extend either around the entire perimeter of the perimeter body portion, or along one or more parts of the perimeter body portion only, effectively forming a formation between the flange and the body portion defining the striking face of the golf club head, known as an undercut. This undercut can thus extend around the entire cavity that is defined by the perimeter body portion, or only along one or more segments of the perimeter body portion, the effect of this flange being to displace the centre of gravity of the head operatively rearwardly with respect to the striking face which, it has been found, provides for improved ball striking. Once again, insofar as the configuration of an undercut in association with a rear cavity, perimeter weighted, iron-type golf club head is well known, this is not described in further detail herein.

It must be understood in relation to the material content of the body of an iron-type golf club head, in terms of overall mass, that this must remain within practical parameters and that the design of a rear cavity, perimeter weighted body of an iron-type golf club head, with or without an undercut, will be determined by these parameters. Insofar as the present invention relates particularly to an iron-type golf club head which has a rear cavity, perimeter weighted, body with an undercut, any reference hereinafter to such a body of a golf club head must be interpreted as a reference to a body as hereinabove described.

It is an object of this invention to provide an iron-type golf club head of the abovementioned type, which is associated with further enhanced ball striking characteristics.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

According to the invention there is provided an iron-type golf club head which comprises a body including a perimeter body portion which defines a rear cavity and a flange projecting from the perimeter body portion, the flange being spaced rearwardly from an opposing body part of the body that defines the striking face of the golf club head so as to define an undercut between the flange and said opposing body part, the body defining a bridge formation that forms a bridge across the undercut which extends between the flange and said opposing body part.

The bridge formation may be either a solid formation or a hollow formation and particularly is located operatively behind the center of the sweet spot defined by the striking face of the golf club head.

The bridge formation may extend between said opposing body part and a flange portion that forms at least a part of the flange and that projects operatively upwardly from a portion of the perimeter body portion disposed adjacent the sole side of the golf club head.

The bridge formation may have a conical configuration and may taper operatively rearwardly from said opposing body part towards said flange portion of the flange.

The invention extends also to the iron-type golf club which includes the iron-type golf club head, defined hereinabove and a shaft connected to the head at one end of the shaft, the shaft having a grip secured thereon at an end thereof opposite to the end which is connected to the head.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further features of the iron-type golf club head of the invention, including the benefits associated therewith, are described hereinafter with reference to an example of such a head, that is illustrated in the accompanying diagrammatic drawings. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 shows a perspective rear view of an iron-type golf club head in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 shows a perspective front view of the iron-type golf club head of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows a section through the centre of the sweet spot of the iron-type golf club head of FIG. 1, sectioned along section line III-III of FIG. 1, i.e. when viewed towards the heel of the golf club head; and

FIG. 4 shows the same section through the iron-type golf club head of FIG. 1, sectioned along section line IV-IV of FIG. 1, i.e. when viewed towards the toe of the golf club head.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Referring to the drawings, an iron-type golf club head, in accordance with the invention, is designated generally by the reference numeral 10. The head 10 comprises a body 12 which is essentially of a conventional configuration, i.e. a configuration that is commonly associated with iron-type golf club heads. As such, the body is formed of any suitable material, particularly a material commonly used for iron-type golf club heads. The body 12 also is associated with specific design features of a particular iron-type golf club head and it will be understood in this regard that these design features are greatly variable, both in terms of outward design and in terms of detailed design features in order to form different specific golf club irons of a set of golf club irons.

The operative front side of the body 12 defines the striking face 14 of the golf club head, the striking face 14 extends from the heel end 16 of the golf club head to the toe end 18 thereof. The body 12 also defines a socket formation 20 at the heel end thereof, where a golf club shaft can be connected to the head 10. The general configuration of the head 10 in this regard is again conventional.

As is clearly apparent, particularly from FIG. 1 of the drawings, the body 12 has a perimeter body portion 22 extending rearwardly from the body part that defines the striking face 14, thus defining a cavity 24 on the rear side of the body 12. The perimeter body portion 22 further has a flange 26 projecting operatively upwardly from the sole side 28 of the golf club head, thus defining an undercut 30 between the flange 26 and the opposing body part of the golf club head 12 that defines the striking face 14 on the opposite side thereof.

Specifically in accordance with the invention, the body 12 has a bridge formation 32 that extends across the undercut, the bridge formation 32 being a solid material formation that tapers from the body portion that defines the striking face on the opposite side thereof, towards the flange 26, the effective axis of the bridge formation being aligned with the centre of the sweet spot that is defined by the striking face 14 of the golf club head. As such, the body 12 defines a material concentration in the region of the centre of gravity of the golf club head that extends between and effectively links the front of the golf club head with the rear of the golf club head and which, it is submitted, provides the golf club head with superior ball striking characteristics.

It must be understood that the exact configuration of the bridge formation is greatly variable and also that it can be associated with different configuration flanges defining an undercut in association with the rear cavity of a golf club head of the general type. It is still further envisaged that the bridge formation may comprise a hollow formation, i.e. a formation defined by walls that extend in the configuration as described and illustrated, or in any alternative configuration in which it defines a bridge across an undercut defined by an iron-type golf club head.

It will be appreciated that the golf club head 10 is associated with specific design parameters in terms of material mass and mass distribution, which essentially will fall in predetermined parameters associated with golf club heads of the type, the invention extending also to all such alternative configuration golf club heads still associated with the said design parameters.

The invention extends also to an iron-type golf club which includes a golf club head as described, a shaft connected to the golf club head via the socket formation thereof and a grip secured on the shaft at the opposite end thereof.

It is submitted that the perimeter body portion of the body of the golf club head of the invention provides for an enlarged sweet spot to be defined by the striking face of the golf club head, in a conventional manner, whereas the defined undercut in association with the bridge formation provides for a desired material concentration behind the sweet spot that will provide for enhanced ball striking characteristics to be associated with an iron-type golf club having such a golf club head.

Furthermore, the Applicant has found that the sweet spot is significantly enlarged by the provision of the undercut and the bridge formation, thereby accommodating “off centre” shots wherein a golf ball is struck by the striking face at positions significantly offset from the centre of gravity of the striking face. 

1. An iron-type golf club head which comprises a body including a perimeter body portion which defines a rear cavity and a flange projecting from the perimeter body portion, the flange being spaced rearwardly from an opposing body part of the body that defines the striking face of the golf club head so as to define an undercut between the flange and said opposing body part, the body defining a bridge formation that forms a bridge across the undercut which extends between the flange and said opposing body part.
 2. The iron-type golf club head as claimed in claim 1, wherein the bridge formation is located operatively behind the centre of a sweet spot defined by the striking face of the golf club head.
 3. The iron-type golf club head as claimed in claim 1, wherein the bridge formation is a solid formation.
 4. The iron-type golf club head as claimed in claim 1, wherein the bridge formation extends between said opposing body part and a flange portion that forms at least a part of the flange and that projects operatively upwardly from a portion of the perimeter body portion disposed adjacent the sole side of the golf club head.
 5. The iron-type golf club head as claimed in claim 4, wherein the bridge formation has a conical configuration and tapers operatively rearwardly from said opposing body part towards said flange portion of the flange.
 6. An iron-type golf club which includes the iron-type golf club head as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, and a shaft connected to the head at one end of the shaft, the shaft having a grip secured thereon at an end thereof opposite to the end which is connected to the head. 